Boring Main Characters

The eldest of five children, I have a classic case of Oldest Child Syndrome. I am quiet, responsible, sensitive, and punctual. My younger sister, the second child, once summed up my personality in one concise sentence: “Christie, you’re the boring one.”

One of the things that captured me in books and eventually drew me to writing is the ability to vicariously live another life through the main character. You can pick your time period, family, looks, and ending.

When I began fiction writing, my main characters were always flat. Interesting things happened to them, but they were not interesting. To figure out why, I began making character sketches, listing the personality traits of my characters. It was then that my sister’s words, said in a high-schooler’s moment of anger, rang true. My characters were boring because I was inserting my own personality into the picture. Even worse, I was photo-shopping myself: My characters became the person I wanted to be, possessing all of my good qualities and none of my quirks, shortcomings, or flaws. My characters were DULL.

The characters I love the most are the ones with the biggest flaws. Becky Bloomwood, Sophie Kinsella‘s credit card-addicted heroine, is one of my favorites. Can I see myself getting into half the scrapes she does? Of course not! My firstborn mentality often balks at even reading about such fiscal irresponsibility. Can I sympathize with her? Yes. She’s lovable, but her flaws are what propel the story along. Imagining my personality in her situation doesn’t work–there would be no plot, no snag, no outrageous resolution. If I were to get into debt, I’d probably apologize to every bill collector and bank manager, then run out and work overtime until I’d paid up. Yawn. No one wants to read that novel.

So now when I need a complicated, flawed main character, I remember my sister’s words and use her as my inspiration instead.

(The oldest child in me is compelled to point out that I’m just kidding, sis! Love you.)

Doing the Math Brings Some Confidence

I mentioned before that I’m trying to write shorter, magazine-length stories to refine my skills as a writer. If I can’t write and perfect an 800-word story, how will I be able to write and perfect an 80,000-word story?

I’ve been working on several of these short stories, practicing getting that first rough draft carved out and then sanding it down as I go back through and edit. This approach has been very helpful so far: I have a novel-length first draft right now, but I’ve stalled out on the editing phase. It’s difficult to look at the big picture with that many pages and scenes to go through! So I’m learning lessons on editing in miniature through writing stories for magazines.

Despite the publication of my first fiction piece last month, I’ve still been hesitant to actually submit these stories to magazines. I love watching Top Chef, but one of the most incomprehensible things in the world to me is the people who have so much confidence in themselves and their work that they go on reality shows to compete. I watch in disbelief as they talk about how they’re better than everyone else and they have the contest in the bag. I don’t think like that. I’d love to be that confident, though maybe not to the point of being snide and critical of others. (I have had a thought like that every now and then, I guess…the only “beautifully written” vampire book I’ve ever read was The Historian. I have to bite my tongue every time the Jacob/Bella/Edward love triangle comes up. Really?)

So I have a digital stack of stories on my computer, just waiting to be sent out to editors. This week, I pulled out my Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers and began researching the magazines aimed at the audiences I had written for. The great thing about this book is–in addition to all the information you can find in the classic Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market (which I also own)–it lists an estimate of how many unsolicited manuscripts the magazine receives each year, how many articles they publish per year by freelancers, and what percentage of those freelancers are new to that magazine.

Finding out that many of these magazines publish such high percentages of stories by freelancers has really given me a boost of confidence. For example (using the one on the back jacket): The magazine AppleSeeds, a pretty well-known and well-respected magazine for children, gets 80% of their content from non-staff writers and publish around 100 pieces from freelancers each year. Then, they tell you that a third of those pieces come from writers who have never written for the magazine before. It also mentions that AppleSeeds receives about 600 queries each year.

Putting that into a math problem:

If a magazine receives 600 queries and accepts 100 of them, how many of the submissions are accepted? 1 out of every 6 queries.

Wouldn’t you think that in this competitive field, a well-known magazine like AppleSeeds would have a lower acceptance rate? I did. I thought that my odds for being published in this type of magazine would be, at best, 1 in a 100, or 1%. It’s actually closer to 17%. And before that number starts to sound low, keep in mind that you can query more than once per year, increasing your odds of being published.

On the other hand, it’s easy to find out quickly which magazines rarely accept freelance pieces. When you see that Time Magazine for Kids is only 4% written by non-staff writers, you know to keep looking.

There are also over 500 magazines listed in Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers! I found many that I’d never heard of that had significant circulation numbers. Sadly, even big bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million carry a paltry amount of children’s magazines. That doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, though. And now that I’ve done the math…I’m getting ready to do some more submitting!

(I didn’t receive any kind of compensation for recommending Magazine Markets for Children’s Writers.)

A Breakthrough!

My husband and I just returned from vacation, and today all of our mail from the past two weeks was delivered. Along with all the bills, advertisements, and catalogs was an envelope and a packet from The Kids’ Ark magazine. My first fiction story, which was accepted last year for publication, is now in print!

Though I started off editing and writing for online and electronic publications, I always wanted the thrill of seeing my work on actual paper. I do own a Kindle, and I love the convenience it affords. I don’t have to bring ten books with my on vacation anymore–I can download them and just bring my light, thin e-reader. However, and I believe most writers and die-hard fiction lovers would agree,  digital literature just can’t replace the experience of reading from paper. It’s completely different!

It’s been a long wait to see my story in the magazine. I submitted the story in February 2009, and didn’t hear back from the editor until June. By that point I’d assumed the story had been rejected, so it was a joyful surprise to hear that it had been selected for publication for the magazine’s Summer 2010 issue! Since then, I’ve been waiting for the issue to come out. I suppose that isn’t a terrible wait; many of children’s magazines are accepting stories now for issues 18 months to three years away!

One 650-word story is a small victory, but a solid one. Reading my byline and seeing the illustrations that were drawn to compliment my story have really encouraged me to keep writing!

Book Review: A Summer Secret

A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller

Rating: Four Stars

A young Amish teenager named Mary Beth Mullet has brothers that drive her crazy, and sometimes she just needs a place to get away and have a moment to herself. She escapes the noise and constant chores in an abandoned barn near her family’s farm—a barn she’s been told to stay away from, because it’s likely to collapse. One day she finds out she isn’t the only one using it as a hideout. Should Mary Beth reveal the truth, even though the secret isn’t hers to keep?

This book has a solid storyline and well-formed characters. Female readers at the middle-grade level will easily identify with the thirteen-year-old main character, despite the different vocabulary and lifestyle of the Amish culture. The descriptions of modern Amish life were well integrated into the story. While informative, the author’s portrayal of Amish clothing and customs set the scene in a natural way. The main character’s reliance on her faith is evident, though it does not feel forced to get a message across. This book is well written and even paced, though the plot is a bit predictable.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Find Blogs that Help Your Writing

Blogs are free and a great place to glean strategies for improving your writing. While everyone and their brother out there now has a blog, many writers, editors and publishers have blogs that are well worth the effort to follow. The trick is to wade through the options and choose the ones that can help you the most.

Let’s start at the beginning.

1. Find a blog, any blog, that has to do with writing. Since you’re already reading a blog (mine) so you’ve obviously found at least one. That’s great! Step one is complete. It doesn’t have to be the best blog out there, or even one you plan to return to–you’re looking for a place to start for now.

2. Find links to other authors’, editors’ or agents’ blogs from the first blog. Sometimes the blog author will make it easy for you to find those links (see my Blogroll for Writers sidebar!) and some many not have their favorites listed. It’s fine if they don’t; you can usually find links to other blogs by reading the comments section after each post. If you click on their names, many of the commenters will have a link to their own websites and blogs.

3. Start reading! You want to find blogs that are will contain helpful tips, industry information and/or give you someone to connect with online to encourage your own writing journey. When you open a blog, scan through a couple of posts and find out if that particular one inspires you. If you find it hard to slog through the writing, the color scheme is obnoxious, or it’s just plain boring, move on! You’ve got too many options out there to waste your time.

4. When you find a great blog, bookmark it and find out which blogs the author follows. Be discerning as you bookmark. Bad blogs will suck away your writing time without giving you anything in return. Great blogs are clearly written, updated often, and contain a goldmine of helpful information. Choose the ones you’ll look forward to reading and bookmark them. They’ll probably also list the blogs that they follow, which will help you find more blogs you love!

5. If you are following more than five or six blogs, divide and conquer. Even a bunch of awesome blogs will be detrimental to your writing if they’re eating away the time you should be using to work on your novel or edit the story that’s been waiting on your second look. I’ve labeled my bookmark folders to find what I need quickly: writing tips, writing inspiration, just for fun. If my motivation’s lagging, I open my writing inspiration blogs and read those. If I’m looking for professional development, I turn to the “writing tips” folder. And if it’s the end of a productive day, I get to read my “just for fun” blogs as a reward.

Watch Out for…following too many blogs, boring but informational blogs, and blogs that aren’t in your writing genre. Weed out the ones that help you out the most and ditch the rest. If it doesn’t encourage, teach or inform you, stop reading!

Domestic Distractions: With Appreciation for Mothers

I suppose there isn’t an excuse for three months of silence–especially on a blog. It’s inexcusable. But I thought I’d at least share the reason, and perhaps get a little sympathy that would cause you to forget my egregious absence.

I am pregnant!

No, I wasn’t off celebrating for those three months, sadly. Apparently I have been blessed with a particularly bad case of morning sickness. I would sit resolutely at my computer, fighting off nausea, determined to write, and then…I would make a mad dash for the bathroom to get sick. Sorry for the image, but as I’m sure all pregnant ladies will tell you, it’s difficult to pretend you’re handling all the changes and quirks in your body with grace, especially when so many of them are uncomfortable! So, in honor of Mother’s Day, I just want to thank all the millions of mothers who have been through this process and the majority who’ve even gone on to repeat it! Bless you all.

Not to focus on the negative–I’m thrilled, and so excited. I could not be happier. But this baby is already throwing a wrench in my starry-eyed plans of being a work-at-home writer. As this is my first, I expected that I could be completely focused on writing up until my due date. Then I’d have to shuffle things around a little. Ha!

This baby’s already teaching me that it plans to turn my life upside-down in many different ways, ways I can’t predict.  So now that I’ve finally gotten the lesson through my stubborn head, I’m going to embrace the wisdom of those who are already doing it. The best advice: Fit in writing when you can. If you wait until you have a block of time where you’re feeling great, the kids are quiet, the laundry’s done, etc…you will end up with lots of blank documents.

Here are a couple of blog posts on writing and motherhood:

In Honor of Mother’s Day, Rachelle Gardner

How to Write a Novel in the Middle of the Night, Suzannah of Write it Sideways

Book Review: The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home: Book Two in the Homelanders Series, Andrew Klavan

Rating: Three Stars

Charlie West, now a high-school senior, has been tried and convicted for the murder of a friend. He was sent to prison, escaped, and is now on the run from the police and a terrorist organization, the Homelanders. The problem is, he doesn’t know why any of these things happened to him. His memory is a complete blank for an entire year, including the night of the murder. In The Long Way Home, Charlie returns to his hometown and the scene of the crime to get some answers.

This book reads like the middle chapters of a YA thriller: It opens with many unanswered questions and ends just the same. While the plot is fast-paced, the resolution in this novel is minimal. It is evident from the beginning that this will not be the last book in the Homelanders series. The series would have made a fantastic single novel, instead of a trilogy that feels a little drawn out. The author mentions God and praying sparingly, enough to show the main character is a Christian and takes his faith seriously, but not so much that the reader feels hit over the head with the message.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Tips to Keep Moving Forward

Kristi Holl of Writer’s First Aid just put up a great post about direction vs. intention. In it, she says she’s seen writers who have “their goals written down, they’ve set deadlines for themselves, they’re determined to finish that novel and submit it, and ultimately they want to be published. They knock themselves out to create websites, network on Facebook and LinkedIn and writer chat rooms, write newsletters and blogs-but they never have time to actually do much writing. They spend so little time actually writing that they don’t improve.”

Does this sound like anyone you know?

It sounds a lot like me. I can fill up my days with reading about writing, checking out blogs and writing out schedules to make sure I’m set up to be the best writer out there. I’m in the “outline before you write” camp, so I fill up notebooks with story ideas and plot lines and spend hours pondering twists and character development. What gets lost in the shuffle? Oh yeah…actually writing.

I’ve (mostly) broken myself of this tendency. Here are a few things I’ve done to give myself a kick in the pants keep moving forward when I lose direction:

• A sign reading “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind” hangs above my computer. Because so much of writing fiction takes place in the imagination, it’s easy to get caught up daydreaming and thinking you’re becoming a better writer. I’ve read thousands of pages of writing advice from authors, agents, editors, and professors, and “write every day, as much as you can” is pretty much how it all boils down. Don’t just think about it; practice.

• I began participating in NaNoWriMo. Before I heard of National Novel Writing Month (November), I had sheaves of half-written manuscripts stacked around my house. It’s daunting to look at writing a novel as an entire, several-year process, and having a deadline–50,000 words in 30 days–helped me take the initial step.  It was helpful to have the website word counter and incentive to “win” by completing the project. In order to reach the 50,000 words I was forced to actually turn off that nagging, spiteful internal editor of mine that always slows me down.

• Set a smaller goal and achieve it. My ultimate goal, of course, is to publish a novel, but sometimes I just crave closure on a project. That’s when I need to write something shorter where I can see the end result more quickly. Right now my goal is to write one short story a week, edit it, and begin sending those in to magazines. This helps in more than one way: I get some closure as the project is drafted, edited, and sent off rather quickly–before I have time to over-think it. In fact, I just submitted a short story to a magazine this morning.

• Tell someone what you’re working on. In my experience, if you tell someone you’re writing a book, they’ll continually ask you how it’s going. I used to start a new story every week and never finish them. It got embarrassing after a while to say, “Oh, I’ve moved on to something different now” all the time. It took me a while, but I finally realized that abandoning a story every time a new idea came my way spelled a lot of beginnings and no endings. And who reads a book just for the beginning? No one.

This is just how I operate; I’m often overly cautious and am sensitive to rejection. I hate rushing into things.

Is anyone the opposite? Do you have the “jump right in” mentality? How’s that working for you?

Don’t Read Too Much

Most writers (hopefully all) start out as addicted readers. I am one of them, of course, but I’m thinking of reforming my ways.

No, no, don’t worry! I haven’t given up reading entirely. I can’t imagine life without books, magazines, articles and blogs. But for a writer, there is such a thing as too much reading.

Let me explain:

I believe that reading good writing can help you write better. It’s inspiring and challenges you to hone your skills. If you’re like me and addicted to reading, though, you may already know this: Reading can easily eat up all of your writing time. Television has become the great evil among writers trying to eek out every last drop of time spent with pen in hand (well, fingers on keyboard). Reading, which is the “acceptable” time-gobbler, can drain those hours the same way that T.V. can. You may feel more righteous having read a best-seller or tips on how to improve your protagonist’s emotional depth, but in the end it’s time spent away from your work in progress (WIP).

Take me, for instance: I read endless–and I mean endless!–blogs and articles on scheduling and disciplining your time as a writer. I devour each suggestion and marvel at the author’s brilliance. “That’s exactly what I’ll do!” I think. Then comes the inevitable “I wonder what he has to say about this topic…” and I’m off searching the blog for more nuggets of wisdom.

I can spend hours or days this way, scouring every possible source for knowledge about becoming a better writer. Or I’ll tell myself I can’t start writing until I finish that novel–I’m so close to the end, and if I don’t just go ahead and finish it, it’ll taunt me all afternoon and I won’t get any work done. Plus, reading helps my writing, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t if I never get to the writing part.

So do the world a favor and don’t read too much. We’re waiting for your novel. It isn’t going to write itself, you know!

Disclaimer: The above post does not refer to my blog. That you can read as much as you want, guilt-free.

Setting Out

I am a writer. And yes, I would like to have a novel published. It’s a common refrain, but many people who say it don’t take any steps closer to the goal. I’ve said it, I’ve written it down on my list of goals, and now I’m putting it out there on the web. I’ll be honest; it’s a little frightening, since it’s so easy to fall short in this line of work.

But I’ll be taking a page out of Shauna Reid‘s inspiring book and blogging even when there’s no guarantee I’ll reach my goal (she did and lost half her body weight!). I plan to use this blog as part encouragement, part therapy, and part kick-in-the-pants when the going gets rough and I’m slogging through endless manuscript (MS) revisions, querying agents and recovering from rejections. If you’re in the same boat, you’re welcome to join me! If you aren’t on the journey yourself, but find David and Goliath stories appealing–or you find reading about setbacks and disappointments amusing–you can stick around as well. Latter-category people: Please try to keep any gleeful comments to yourself.

From the beginning, all I can see are the pitfalls of attempting to publish a novel. Looming ahead are the mountain of writing and editing, the desert of querying and the siren song of self-publishing. I can easily envision being cast aside as publishers’ budgets shrink and vampires take over the world. (At least the world of fiction.)

No journey, whether to across town to the grocery store or around the world, would be very interesting without some snags and minor catastrophes. If your life sailed along as smoothly as water in a glass, well, your memoirs would be dull, now wouldn’t they?

A writer’s journey, like her hero’s quest, must have difficulties to overcome. Otherwise there is no triumph at the end (and I suspect her books would be a snore). When you travel, what types of stories do you collect? Do you come home describing each day’s perfect temperature, or the time you fell over on a European metro into a very angry lady’s lap?

Great stories don’t emerge without conflict and trouble. As a writer, I understand that better than anyone! So as I pursue published author-hood, I expect a few dead ends and disasters. After all, the journey is the point of the story.